EFFECTIVENESS OF A TAILORED SLEEP EDUCATION PROGRAM TO IMPROVE SLEEP AND ITS IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MULTISPORT YOUTH ATHLETES

Objective

t o evaluate the effectiveness of a sleep education program among young athletes in enhancing sleep quality and duration, as well as mood and academic performance.

Design: prospective cohort study.

Methods

We included 639 players (11% female; mean age of 13.89±3.8 years) of 5 sports disciplines in a professional club were evaluated before and after a sport season, through 4 specific instruments: 1) sleep diaries to estimate nocturnal sleep duration, 2) the Children’s Sleep Disorder Score Scale (SDSC) to assess sleep quality, 3) the Sleep Vitality Scale (SVS) to examine mood, and 4) school records of academic performance. The sleep education program included staff, family and individual sessions. It focused on the promotion of healthy sleep habits.

Results

The 16t-25 years-old (y-o) group exhibited an increase in nocturnal sleep duration (p=0.002), while the 12-15 y-o group showed a decrease (p=0.01). In contrast, the 7-11y-o group exhibited no change. For sleep quality, the 12-15y-o (p < 0.001) and 16-25y-o (p<0.001) groups, while the 7-11y-o group exhibited inferior sleep quality (p 0.001). Regarding mood, the 7-11y-o group showed a significant deterioration (p=0.008), while no changes were observed in the 12-15y-o and 16-25y-o groups. Academic performance exhibited a significant improvement in the 7-11y-o (p=0.001), 12-15y-o (p<0.001), and 16-25y-o (p=0.008) groups.

Conclusions

Among athletes aged 12-25y-o, participation in a sleep education program led to improvements in sleep quality and duration, accompanied by enhanced academic performance. However, this intervention did not yield positive effects for athletes between the ages of 7 and 11 years.